Board of Directors

Chip Rumis - Founder, Chairman and Director

Hard work and innovation have motivated and rewarded Chip Rumis.

In 1976, he started Golden State Construction, a successful commercial and residential development company. That business thrived under his leadership until 1982 when he partnered with another successful entrepreneur in a start up software and technology company.

TISCOR (Tomorrow’s Integrated Systems Corporation) was founded in Poway, California in 1982 and grew into a highly successful operation with more than 100 associates. The company had more than 5,000 clients worldwide including 50 of the Fortune 100 and many local, state and federal governments. Chip was TISCOR’s founding President and Chief Executive Officer.

In 2002, TISCOR was acquired by Brady Company a NYSE corporation. Chip built a successful transition team that took operational control of TISCOR at the end 2004. Today, Chip is an active investor in commercial properties throughout Southern California.

While building and operating TISCOR, Chip was also involved in his community and his church. He is a founding director of Ramona National Bank, a federally chartered bank, with assets in excess of $50 million. He is on the board of John 8:31, a Christian Ministry located in San Diego, CA. He is past president of the Ramona Adult Softball Association. In 2005, Chip was deeply moved by the disrupted lives he witnessed after Hurricane Katrina. As a response to the tragedy on the Gulf Coast, he joined with a business partner in founding Community of Faith Ministries Inc., a faith based IRS registered 501 c 3 non profit. The organization rebuilds churches, homes and gives grants in aid to victims of natural disasters.

Chip has been married to his wife, Jean, for more than 26 years. They have two grown children. He is a licensed private pilot and a member of AOPA. His recreational interests include scuba diving, flying and racing his two NHRA hot rods. He resides in Ramona, California. He and Jean have additional residences in Florida and Mississippi.

Karl Higgins - Co Founder, Corporate Secretary and Director

Karl Higgins has spent more than 25 years assisting companies, trade associations and individuals with government relations and public affairs. For a decade in the 1980s, he was the chief of staff to San Diego area congressman. In 1991 he left the public payroll and formed his own consulting firm.  He provides legislative and public affairs strategy and also acts as a spokesperson and registered lobbyist advocating for clients to elected officials, legislative and planning bodies and community groups.

 His firm’s client list has included biotech, high tech, land development, aviation, finance, insurance, business trade groups, along with many other companies and associations. In 1992, his company organized and produced the first annual statewide biotechnology conference in California. Dr. Jonas Salk and Gov. Pete Wilson were keynote speakers to a crowd exceeding 650 people and a national media audience.

In 1984, 1988 and 1992 he worked with the Reagan and Bush White House Presidential Advance and Press operations gaining valuable skills in event organization, logistics, and press relations. He has dealt extensively with local, state and national members of the media acting as spokesperson and background briefer during routine and crisis events.

Higgins also serves on the boards of several community service and non-profit groups including the San Diego County United Way where he was a member of the Executive Committee and countywide chairman of the $22.5 million 2006 campaign. In 2007 Karl was awarded the Jack Naish Volunteer of the Year award by the United Way of San Diego.  He is a co-founder, director and officer of Community of Faith Ministries, Inc.,  a faith based non profit that rebuilds churches and homes after natural disasters. He has worked extensively in the Tsunami region and Gulf Coast rebuilding efforts. Nothing makes him more proud however, than his daughter Savannah. She was born in 1991, in San Diego.

            Karl Higgins was born in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts in 1955. He resides in the San Diego area. He is an alumnus of San Diego State University. His hobbies include high altitude mountain climbing, running marathons, boating and gourmet cooking. In 2007 Karl expects to finish his quest to join the Seven Continents Club; a group of runners who have completed a marathon on each of the seven continents of the world. His wife, Dawn, is hard at work obtaining her doctor of physical therapy degree from Loma Linda University with a graduation date set for June 2008.

Steve Arnold - Treasurer and Director

Born in Los Angeles, California now a Resident in San Diego for 30 years. Married for 35 years to his wife, Mona, Steve has two wonderful children in son, Jared, and daughter, Michele. Three years ago, Michele made Steve and Mona the very proud grandparents of a beautiful granddaughter, Laci Amber, Brooklyn Alexandria.

Steve has enjoyed a very successful career of 33 years in the furniture business. He currently owns and operates Legends Home Furnishings in San Diego, with 2 retail locations. He also owns and manages Legends Manufacturing plant in Lynwood, California and DPS Services, a delivery service & warehousing company in San Diego.

A collector and builder of classic cars and hot rods, his collections have been recognized by many national and international industry publications as some of the most unique and best built hot rods around.

Past president of the 65 Roses organization, a division of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in San Diego, and past president of Linea De Fuego Rod & Gun Club, Steve has had many successful passions in his life.

He has competed in many national and international pistol-shooting competitions and was very proud to represent the USPSA (United States Pistol Shooting Association) in the World Shooting Competition in England and Brazil, being ranked #2 in the world in 1996.

Following Hurricane Katrina, Steve joined his best friend Chip who organizes a relief program called “Adopt A Church.” With Steve’s help & 9 of his friends, they started rebuilding churches and restoring lives. To date they have rebuilt 8 churches. They are very proud to say that their time spent calling and raising funds and support, and traveling back and forth several times with volunteers has been a most humbling experience.